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last update: july 8th, 2016

june 21st, 2016

This op-ed, co-authored by board member John Prendergast, originally appeared in Foreign Affairs.

In July of last year, U.S. President Barack Obama gave a landmark speech at the African Union (AU) headquarters in Addis Ababa, criticizing leaders who undemocratically change their constitutions to stay in power and emphasizing that the United States would call out such behavior. He pointed to Burundi where a few months earlier, President Pierre Nkurunziza pressured the courts to change the constitution’s term limits so that he could run for a third time. Obama warned that such a tactic could trigger “instability and strife,” as well as hamper “Africa’s democratic progress.” But his words seem to have fallen on deaf ears.

april 24th, 2016

Update: the award event has concluded. You can watch the full recording at the livestream link; Clooney's remarks begin at the 2:08 mark.

Board members George Clooney and John Prendergast are in Yerevan, Armenia today, where Clooney will present the inaugural Aurora Prize, honoring an individual who puts her- or himself at risk to enable others to survive. The board members are likewise commemorating the anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

Click through for a link to the livestream of the award event (beginning @ 1pm EST), as well as the text of Clooney's remarks.